Cooking is something I love to do when I have the energy and spoons to do so. Working with natural foods like fresh vegetables and fruits in baking, is something I’m getting more in tune with. Not only for weight loss, but also just in an attempt to reduce processed foods from my diet.

When you struggle with chronic pain and fatigue, cooking can be the last thing you want to do. So, what’s really important to me, is to find ways to a) stretch the food budget, b) prep ingredients in advance, and c) batch cook or bake and freeze for later use.

One of my goals for the next few months, is to reduce the amount of food that I waste. This is difficult to do as a single person. So, that means, spending less on groceries, shopping with intention (pre meal planning), and focusing on foods that can last longer like canned beans or frozen vegetables which are just as good as fresh.

In addition to cooking healthier meals, I’ve been searching for natural ways to help reduce my anxiety and depressive episodes, and this research led me to the path of Green Witchery or Kitchen Witchery.

Some of my fondest memories since moving into this condo, has been in the kitchen celebrating events with friends. And while I’m no longer part of that friends group, I hope to make my home welcoming and have new friends over soon!

What is Kitchen Witchery?

The kitchen, is usually the hearth of most homes. It’s a place where families gather together for meals and discuss the day’s events. It’s a place where our guests gather to enjoy food you have prepared. It’s usually a place where I start my day with morning coffee and breakfast, and end the night with a cup of sleepy tea before bed.

Kitchen witchery is about incorporating magical or spiritual practices into your daily meal prepping. It’s about cooking with care, love and intention. It’s using fresh or organic products like fruits and vegetables, and working on reducing waste. This means using reusable products like cloth tea bags, glass containers for storage or mason jars, etc.

Anyone can practice Kitchen or Green Witchery. Think of Witchcraft like an umbrella term. There are many types of practices within Witchcraft, and I’ll cover those in a separate post. You can also be a Pagan, or a Wiccan and use these practices in your daily life.

The main principles of Kitchen Witchery

• Planning your meals in advance, using natural or organic products, and creating your own recipes or kitchen spells or grimoire for kitchen spells
• Celebrating special occasions like the Sabbats with friends, planning a meal, and enjoying food together
• Crafting your own potions (syrups, dressings, beverages, meade, teas)
• Decorating your kitchen with flowers, candles, dried herbs or plants, or other artifacts that you connect with
• Meditating while prepping ingredients or thinking about what you want to accomplish the next day
• Using sigil or runes in your cooking (drizzling oils, syrups, or using your finger to draw them in flour, etc)

How I practice Kitchen Witchery

Herbal and flower garden

Now that spring is here, I’m looking forward to being able to plant flowers and herbs for my outdoor (and indoor) garden. It’s a bit early to do that as the nights are still cold, but soon. I hope to have plants like lavender, lilac, and ivy.

I’ve tried regrowing things like celery, spring onions and think I will plant herbs like chives, mint and whatever else I can find locally. That’s the other thing – I try and support local artisans where I can and plan on hitting as many markets and farmer’s markets as I can afford this summer.

Healthy baking and cooking

As I mentioned in the opening of this post, I’m focusing on trying new dishes and cooking mostly healthy foods. I’m trying to reduce the amount of processed foods I use which is hard to do with a minimal food budget. There are still things like pasta noodles that I have in my cupboards (just in case). One thing I have started doing is adding beans and legumes to my daily diet and have noticed a drastic improvement in overall gut health and energy levels.

One thing I’d like to get back into is writing my recipes down and making printable recipe cards. So, I think I might make an online grimoire – and share these with you. It will be a work in progress.

Mindfulness in the kitchen

One thing I have learned to do since having a mice infestation in my last condo that really got bad (not my fault), I make it a point to clean up my kitchen counter and make sure all dishes are rinsed or put in the dishwasher. I’m getting into the habit of using canisters, glass jars (mason jars) and reusable ziploc bags for storing some foods too.

Waking up to a clean counter top and organized pantry cabinets, is a good way to start the day.

One of the first things I do after waking up and hitting the bathroom, is making that first cup of coffee. While doing that, sometimes I’ll put in some laundry or get started on daily chores. Or I’ll run through a list of things I’d like to get done that day. The earlier I get up, the more energy I find I have to do these things. However, if the pain is bad or I have a migraine, then nothing gets done.

Taking some time to prep my cup of coffee and stirring in the cream, while thinking about my next steps is becoming a morning ritual. Then I prepare my breakfast, and head to the computer to check email and connect with friends.

Decluttering and Reducing Waste

This is on my to do list and I’m hoping to get some work done on the cabinets over the weekend. About once or twice a year, I go through all my pantry items and pull out items that are near expiration date so I can use them up. Some items are okay to use after they expire – like oats, beans, or some baking goods. While others, are not like canned milk or some creamy soups.

I treat my cabinets like a grocery store shelf and rotate items. I’m really bad for not checking what I have in stock before ordering, and trying to be more diligent to prevent over buying. When I notice I am out of staple ingredients, I add them to my Instacart order.

I’m in search of things like glass containers and use my mason jars for homemade soups and some chilis. I’m also researching methods for storing fresh vegetables and soups so they last longer. And using not so fresh ingredients in baking like banana bread or muffins.

Using natural products or herbal remedies

When you live with a condition like hypermobility, it can impact your entire body. My body doesn’t produce collagen properly, so eating a healthy balance, losing weight and keeping my skin healthy is really important. This is why my diet is getting a complete overhaul.

I’m adding more natural foods to my daily regime but especially things like beans, lentils, oatmeal and eggs. Foods that are rich in protein, iron and fibre are essential for me.

When it comes to protecting the skin or warding off infections, I tend to gravitate towards things like – tea tree oil, coconut oil, etc. When it comes to anxiety and stress due to high levels of cortisol, I turn to teas like chamomile with a few drops of honey. There’s peppermint tea for upset stomach with migraines. And Dr. Teal’s lavender foam bath for achy muscles.

You get the drill.

Now that it’s spring time, I’m looking forward to having flowers in my kitchen again, buying some plants and really bringing outside – indoors. And I cannot WAIT to be out on the balcony again. I was out last night with a blanket for a while until it got too windy.

Connecting

I think that’s it for this post – that’s a lot of information! Are you a kitchen or green witch? If so, how do you incorporate magic and spell working into your daily routines? Please let me know in the comments and give this blog a follow!

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